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Variability in Nucleus Accumbens Activity Mediates Age-Related Suboptimal Financial Risk Taking

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: As human life expectancy continues to rise, financial decisions of aging investors may have an increasing impact on the global economy. In this study, we examined age differences in financial decisions across the adult life span by combining functional neuroimaging with a dynamic financial investment task. During the task, older adults made more suboptimal choices than younger adults when choosing risky assets. This age-related effect was mediated by a neural measure of temporal variability in nucleus accumbens activity. These findings reveal a novel neural mechanism by which aging may disrupt rational financial choice.

Source: Journal of Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4902-09.2010

Authors: Gregory R. Samanez-Larkin, Camelia M. Kuhnen, Daniel J. Yoo, Brian Knutson

Institutions: Stanford University, Northwestern University, Emory University

Language: English

Topic: Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics

Subfield: General Decision Sciences

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging